7 Powers

Hamilton Helmer

You want a business that still exists in ten years. The problem is you have a product and a hope. Seven powers. Name which one you actually have. Skip the name and you will confuse a busy quarter with a moat. Name it and you know what to protect — and what is just a good month.

Scale economies

Network effects

Counter-positioning

Switching costs

Branding

Cornered resource

Process power

Hover or tap a piece.

In one line

A company lasts by one of seven: scale, network, counter-positioning, switching costs, brand, cornered resource, or process. No power, no duration.

Use this on a company. It answers: Who are you being?

The other half

Business Model Canvas

The canvas is the machine on one page. The power is why that machine is not copied next quarter.

How this talks to the others

Leads into
Cashflow quadrant
Powers live in B and I. E and S can be busy for years with none. The quadrant is who you are; the power is whether that lasts.
Leads into
Assets and liabilities
A power is an asset that compounds. A vanity metric is a liability dressed as a moat.

Seminars